Open AccessRate of late Quaternary ice‐cap thinning on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica defined by cosmogenic 36 Cl surface exposure dating
Author(s) -
SEONG YEONG BAE,
OWEN LEWIS A.,
LIM HYOUN SOO,
YOON HO IL,
KIM YEADONG,
LEE YONG IL,
CAFFEE MARC W.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
boreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1502-3885
pISSN - 0300-9483
DOI - 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2008.00069.x
Subject(s) - shetland , deglaciation , geology , quaternary , oceanography , surface exposure dating , ice sheet , glacial period , physical geography , moraine , ice core , landform , holocene , paleontology , geography
Glacial landforms on the Barton and Weaver peninsulas of King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica were mapped and dated using terrestrial cosmogenic 36 Cl methods to provide the first quantitative terrestrial record for late Quaternary deglaciation in the South Shetland Islands. 36 Cl ages on glacially eroded and striated bedrock surfaces range from 15.5±2.5 kyr to 1.0±0.7 kyr. The 36 Cl ages are younger with decreasing altitude, indicating progressive downwasting of the southwestern part of the Collins Ice Cap at a rate of ∼12 mm yr −1 since 15.5±2.5 kyr ago, supporting the previously published marine records for the timing and estimate of the rate of deglaciation in this region.